Carrier



March 21, 1939. I R. A. DROSS CARRIER Filed May 17, 1938 Patentecl Mar. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT I OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to carriers suitable for crutches and is herein illustrated as a carrier attached to a typical crutch.

Persons obliged to walk with the aid of crutches find that their hands while walking are fully occupied with the manipulation of the crutches, generally firmly grasping the cross-handles with the result that they are unable to easily hold or carry any package and often are totally unable to safely carry any package at all.

A mere clip has generally proved unsatisfactory, because it allowed packages to slip or twist or be easily knocked out of the clip.

According to the present invention, these and other difficulties are overcome and a device is provided which safely holds a package in the most convenient location, that is, near the handle which is grasped by the hand. In the form shown, one branch of the crutch carries a spring member made fast to the branch by one or more clamps. The spring may normally lie against the front face of the branch at its free end which points upward, but may lie clear of the crutch lower down, thus enabling it to grip a small package where it lies against the crutch and yet readily receive and grasp a much larger package lower down. For carrying most packages, it is best to have a spring on each branch of the crutch, so that a package long enough to reach from one branch to the other is held by both springs at once. Since the springs point upward they readily hold a heavy article which rests upon the spring at or near the clamp, and thus supports it rmly while holding it in place by the end of the spring.

To enable the spring or springs to be kept light and resilient and yet have suicient grasp, the springs may be reinforced partway of this length by a second spring which may be independently supported from the crutch. Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing, Figura 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a crutch embodying the present invention. Figure 2 is a face View of a spring and one form of clip before attaching it to the crutch.

A crutch ill includes a cross-bar handle ll which connects the two branches !2 and l3, the two branches as usual joining lower down at a point not shown.

In the form shown the branch l2 carries a package holder shown as the upwardly pointing end M of a flat spring !5, which bends back at !6 so as to again point upwardly and lie with its flat end l'l substantially against the branch !2.

In the form shown the flat end ll does not lie against the branch 12, but is held thereto by an upper clamp |8 and a lower clamp l9.

In the form shown the fiat end ll is held by rivets 20, and 2| to the spaced clamps |8 and |9 respectively, and the clamps !8 and !9 are preferably made of fairly soft or bendable metal so that they bend easily and fit around the corners 22, 23, 24 of the branch 2 shown.

In the form shown the upper end M of the spring !5 is covered with a rubber casing or jacket which may extend from the tip down about as far as the top clamp 18, thus serving to prevent the spring from rusting, if made of steel as is usually preferable, and, at the same time tends to hold articles placed between it and the branch l2 with greater friction. The rubber casing 25 may be vulcanized on to the metal or may be molded separately and slipped on.

In the form shown each clamp [8, !9 may be provided in the form of a relatively soft metal strap 26, as shown at Figure 2, with the short end doubled over as at 21 and provided with a bolt hole 28, and the long end 29 doubled over at 30, near its free tip and provided with a hole 31, so that when the strap 29 is bent around the branch |2 a bolt 32 may be passed through the holes 28 and 3l, and draw the ends firmly together on the ranch |2 by a wing nut 32a.

It is found best for carrying heavy packages to provide an extra spring reinforcing for the spring M. In the form shown the reinforcing spring 33 is riveted to a clamp 34 which may include bends 21 and 30 and their screwholes 28 and 3l, and the upstanding spring 33 may be riveted at 35 to the clamp 34 and spring out at 36 and then up at 31 and inwardly until it lies against the spring l4, just below the rubber casing 25. The spring 33 may be held against the spring M by a rivet 38 passing through a slot 39 in the spring 33 and headed over to allow sliding while holding the springs together.

Usually it is desired to carry heavier packages cn the clutch at times than can be firmly held by a single spring l4, even when reinforced With a spring 33. To enable such heavier packages to be carried, and to be able to carry long thin ones, like a rolled-up newspaper, there is shown a second spring 48 on the branch !3, which may or may not include the rubber casing, and is held by similar clamps, only clamp !8 being shown, and reinforced by a spring 4l which may be identical with the spring 33, and provided with an identical slot 39 around a rivet 38.

It will be noted that the projecting ends of all clamps with the screw holes 28, 3| lie between the crutch branches |2 and !3 and that the upper ends of springs !4 and 40 are just below the cross-bar handle Il, thus holding packages convenient to the handles but clear of them. Moreover, any packages that slip, fall into the bends of the springs and can drop no further.

It is found that a spring |4 having a tip 5 inches above the top clamp I 8 and 6 inches above the bottom clamp !9 is satisfactory, and aided by a suitable spring 33 Will carry a package of 5 or 10 pounds and perhaps 2 or 3 inches thick.

Having thus described certain embodiments of the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A crutch including two branches, a crosshandle connecting the branches,' and a spring on each branch adapted to press against and hold a package placed between them and the branches, and a reinforcing. spring on each branch adapted to aid the first springs.

2. A crutch' including two branches, a spring on one branch, a clamp holding the spring to the branch, a separate reinforcing spring and a clamp supporting the reinforcing spring and supported by the branch.

3. A crutch including two branches, a crossbar handle connecting the branches, a spring on one branch adapted to press a package against the branch a little below the handle, and a clamp supporting the spring and having its projecting tightening part facing the other branch.

4. A crutch including two branches, a crossbar handle connecting the branches,'a first spring on one branch adapted to press a package against the branch a little below the handle, a reinforcing spring lying outside the first spring, and a clamp supporting each spring and having its projecting tightening part facing the other branch.

5. A crutch including two branches, a crossbar handle connecting the branches, a first spring on each branch adapted to press a package against its branch a little below the handle, a

reinforcing spring lying outside the first spring,

and a clamp supporting each spring and having its projecting tightenng part facing the other branch.

6. A crutch including two branches, a spring on one branch, a clamp holding the spring to the branch, a separate reinforcing spring and a clamp supporting the reinforcing spring and supported by the branch, and a rubber jacket on the spring to frictionally hold a package.

RUDOLF A. DROSS. 

